An eating disorder arises when there’s a severe disruption of your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors relating to food.
Eating disorders typically occur in adolescence or young adulthood and are more common in girls or women. However, the condition can affect boys/men and older people, too.
Eating disorders treated most frequently at Heritage Wellness™ include the following:
People with anorexia continually weigh themselves and reduce the quantity of food they eat so drastically that they suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies. They often exercise excessively and might resort to taking laxatives to lose weight.
They continue to see themselves as overweight even when they’re severely underweight. You might be little more than skin and bone, yet you still see excess fat when you look in the mirror. As a result, you might suffer malnutrition and even starve to death.
Bulimia nervosa, commonly referred to as bulimia, causes you to binge, consuming large quantities of food over a short period. You’re unable to control the urge to eat, and then when you stop, you feel disgusted at your lack of restraint. To compensate for the binging, you might make yourself vomit, use laxatives, stop eating for days, or exercise excessively.
Binge-eating disorder differs from bulimia because you don’t vomit or take other compensatory measures after binging. You eat until you’re uncomfortably full, usually when alone, and suffer intense guilt or shame afterward.
Without expert treatment, eating disorders can cause numerous health problems. These vary depending on which eating disorder you have and its severity, but common ones include:
Untreated anorexia might cause brain and heart damage or even multiple organ failure. Bulimia can cause an electrolyte imbalance that could trigger a stroke or heart attack.
At Heritage Wellness™, the team uses a combination of treatments that might include:
Your provider completes a comprehensive symptom assessment to help them create your individualized care plan.
For compassionate help with your eating disorder, call Heritage Wellness™ or book an appointment online today.